The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1887-05-20
WASHINGTON LETTER
tFrom our Regular Correspondent

tFr0m our Regular COrreSpOnQent.1
WAsHINeToN. D. G. May 18th, 1887.
The country youth or maiden who
reads of the happy lot of the Govern
ment clerk here, with bis salary of
from $1,000 to $500 per year, with his
abundant leisure, and with the great
advantages, social, literary, and spec
tacular, which life at the Capitol af-
fords, is filled with longing. If the
country youth and maiden are not an
gels, they may even be filed with
envy. The enchantment which dis
tance lends to alleged happy lots is
often provocative of envy. Perhaps
the only happy lot is the little one of
six by three feet upon which daisies
cluster, but in which there Is enchant-
ment only for those who have seen
iridescent bubbles of life burst at the
touch, including even the bubble of a
government position. But this is q
depression from the straight and mar
row path of a Washington correspon-
dent.
Your correspondent wishes to ex-
plain that he was not discharged, he
resigned and retired into the business
of journalism, and look back on my
experience as Government clerk with
out envy or longing. But to the aver.
age ex.clerk the retrospect is much
less enviable now, than it was then in
1878. Perhaps the greatest ill and
terror of youth Is the school examina-
ton. Oh! dost thou remember? Think
of life of protracted school examina
tions Such is to be the future life of
the Government clerk! He may no
longer drive his pen in peace, or fur
lively read his newspaper. President
Cleveland has decreed that he shall
stand an examination for promotion,
whether he wants promotion or not,
and that if he fails to reach an aver
age of rs per cent, he must step down
and out. Saints, sinners and the
Beecher family but this is hard on
the gilded and kalsomined youth and
maiden whom Grant, Hayes, Garfield,
Arthur, Blaine, Malone, Conkling and
all those illustrious spoilers pensioned
upon the Treasury in the riotous days
OF reconstruction and carpet bags.
The very idea of a competitive ex-
animation is quite paralyzing, Cor they
know little spelling and less arithmetic.
Geography, mahogany, physics and
Mysteries are all the same to them.
There has been an increased demand
for school books 10 Washington during
the past week, and the Capital of the
United States is likoly to be the para
disc of pedagogues. Already they
have advertised to prepare applicants
for civil service examination. But the
fact remains that an education cannot
be improvlsed, and the middle aged
Republican clerks who have impaired
their minds as well as their hearts in
straining to keep alive the memories
and the policy of the war, have no vi
tally left for the study OF text books.
The past week added another TO the
many pageants which Washington has
witnessed. The Statue of Garfield
was unveiled with much parade and
orstory. Ex-Speaker Keifer made a
prolix and turgid address The Presi-
dent had hard role to enact as repre-.
sentative of the Nation in accepting
the monument, which he did in little
speech which was not very bad, con-
sidering the necessary embarrassment
which a well Informed honest man
must feel when called upon to speak
well Of small politician, narrow
partisan, and President who was the
weak puppet of Blaine. Is the Presi-
dent well informed I Has he forgot
ten the part Garfield took in defraud.